Weekends are precious family time to us. That is because we don't get to spend time with the navy hubby on most weekdays so weekends are extra special and important. Being the sporty and outdoorsy type, we love to bring the kids to try out new experiences, come up close with nature and create fun, lasting memories as a family.
There aren't that many places in Singapore that can keep us occupied for a whole day, and I do mean over 12 hours when I say that, and still make the kids yearn for more. Over the first weekend of June, thanks to One Faber Group, we had the opportunity to visit some awesome places in Faber Peak and Sentosa and it was such a phenomenal experience that I think the kids will be talking about it for a long time to come. From riding on cable cars, scaling Sentosa Merlion's head and whizzing down Luge to spotting butterflies, feasting on local delicacies and admiring a breathtaking night show set against the open sea, we did so much in the span of a day and despite the scorching weather, every bit of it was so enjoyable for everyone.
In this post, I will be sharing with you more about the attractions we visited, the fun activities you can look forward to at each of them as well as some exciting ongoing promotions. If you are wondering where to head to for your next family visit, this might just be for you!
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Before we start, here's a video where you can take a look at all the fun we had and things we did!
SINGAPORE CABLE CAR
The first time we went on the cable car as a family of five was over a year ago. The fact that the baby boy loved it so much and couldn't stop squealing in joy during the ride made it an obvious choice for us to sign up for the Faber Licence membership which grants us unlimited rides on both the Mount Faber Line and Sentosa Line all year round. Since then, we've been taking the cable car quite frequently but guess what, it still never fails to thrill the kids every time.
They love to pretend that they are on a mini roller coaster ride, they love to have a private karaoke session inside our cabin, they love to look out over the sea and enjoy the aerial view of Sentosa - like how they will always spot the majestic Sentosa Merlion, the unmistakable Battlestar Galatica ride in Universal Studios and the charming dolphins in Adventure Cove.
After every ride, the boy will never fail to say the same three words. Yes, every single time. He will put up his index finger to his cute little face, give that doe-eyed expression and say sweetly "One more time?"
SENTOSA MERLION
I remember that we went up the towering 37-metre tall Sentosa Merlion for the very first time back in 2014. It was such a memorable experience for our family and when my kindergartner, who was just a toddler when she visited, had to do a Show and Tell presentation this year, she chose to talk about the Singapore Merlion as one of her favourite Singapore landmarks. It made her feel proud to be able to relate her experience to her teachers and classmates in school.
At that time, we could only go up to the Mouth Gallery as the Head Gallery was temporarily closed. After patiently waiting for another opportunity to visit, this time round, we were thrilled to get the chance to set foot on both of them! It actually felt quite surreal to finally be standing on the crown of this iconic Merlion and enjoy a panoramic view of the island - even though you can't really tell you are on the head when you are there.
There are also new activities available at the Merlion which make use of interactive, virtual reality elements. For example, you can colour your own Merlion and watch it come to life on the big screen, you can play a VR game to learn about the symbolic design of the Merlion, and you can scan a QR code at the entrance and let the kids take part in an interactive web game (which can also be downloaded at https://buildxcape.com/).
It was also an educational experience for the kids to watch a four-minute animated video about how Singapore used to be a fishing village before being discovered by Sang Nila Utama back in 1299. You can even see the Merlion swimming around in the sea!
The biggest highlight for the kids at the Merlion was receiving a shiny prosperity coin as a keepsake. Yes, thankfully they could have one each, if not, I bet they would be snatching over this meaningful treasure!
SPUDS & APRONS
We took the cable car back to Faber Peak for our lunch at Spuds & Aprons. You can choose to have your meal in the comfort of the air-conditioned Dining Room or relax at the alfresco Garden. The view from the top of the hill was stunning and we were very impressed by how the design of the bistro was done in order to accommodate the tall, heritage trees on Faber Peak - which can be seen growing through the floors and ceilings. See what I mean below?
The kids were thrilled to find a koi pond and even more so when they could feed the fishes (fish food is sold in the souvenir shop next door). It was definitely a good way to keep them occupied and happy before the food came!
Talking about the food, you would expect that it would cost quite a little since this is a tourist attraction after all and you get to enjoy the lovely views from the top of the hill. On the day that we visited Spuds & Aprons, the restaurant was serving a limited menu due to ongoing renovations for a new dining concept that will be launched this September. Hence, the menu didn't have as many options as I would have loved to see and there wasn't any kids menu available too. Nonetheless, we tried out some of the more popular dishes including Stress-free Angus ($42), Tobiko Crusted Cod ($36), Oven Roasted Mustard Marinated Chicken ($23), Happy Chicken Wings ($20) and Signature Crab Linguini ($26).
Our thumbs up unanimously went to the Tobiko Crusted Cod because the cod fillet was tender and cooked perfectly, the green tea soba noodles were springy and made a nice combination with the zest from the ponzu sauce. The char-grilled Angus Ribeye would rank second but the Crab linguini, which was supposed to come with a crispy soft shell crab and chilli crab sauce, didn't exactly live up to the hubby's expectations. Thankfully, the drinks helped to make up for it and the hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed our Yuzu Mutley's Mojito and Lychee Jell-O-Bomb-Tini.
On a side note, I have to give credit to the staff for being prompt to respond when the toddler accidentally spilled his cup of orange juice and they were so kind as to give him another full cup too - which totally made his day.
If you haven't been to Faber Peak yet, you totally should because not only is it a nice place to dine and chill out, there are plenty of photo taking spots and touristy things to do too - for instance, you can ring the Bell of Happiness, write on a Wishing Bell, take a photo in the stationary cable car or on a flight of rainbow stairs too!
BUTTERFLY PARK & INSECT KINGDOM
If you've seen our video about our visit to the Carnival of Butterflies previously, you would know how my kids lovvveeee butterflies, and in fact all kinds of creepy crawlies. They love to see them, they love to observe them, they love to hold them and they can just spend the whole afternoon interacting with them. Did you know that butterflies only have a two-week lifespan? Such fleeting beauty makes them even more magical and beautiful, don't you think so?
Anyway, the kids were thrilled to be visiting Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom for the first time and this was something that they looked forward to all week before our visit. We managed to learn about the differences between moths and butterflies, how to distinguish them, and also came up close with cocoons and chrysalises too. The little girl had the chance to hold one of the latter in her palm and could even feel it wriggling its body too!
As for the butterflies, we must have been a tad unlucky that day because we only spotted a couple of alive ones flying around - we also spotted dead ones being eaten up by ants. Sob. I was half thinking that the girls were gonna be so disappointed because they had imagined they would see dozens of butterflies. Thankfully, we managed to have an animal encounter which was really fun and exciting. Guess what animals we came up close with?
Parrots! Huge ones too! They were pretty heavy but luckily the girls could carry them long enough for me to take pictures. By the way, we had to pay a token fee of $5 in order to take the pictures but since the staff allowed us to take as many as we liked, we thought that was a really reasonable price. There was another place near Madam Tussauds which quoted us $25 for one photo!
The surprise came when the hubby was told he could carry this gigantic iguana for the photo taking too, and trust me, it was humongous! There were other visitors who got scared by its sheer size and the hubby was one of the brave ones who picked it up without squirming at all - some of the others gave up when they felt its skin. Watch my video above to see more of this gentle giant! I was so happy we managed to take this family shot, even though the inquisitive toddler couldn't stop staring at the animals.
Being the bug lovers they are, the kids were also excited to get the chance to spot all kinds of creatures in their enclosures - from spiders and worms to stick insects and scorpions. We even saw a real-life tarantula too!
If you are interested to find out more about butterfly and other insects, there is an informative gallery at the second half of the journey that showcases the different types of species. It also makes a good way for the kids to wind down after the fun, exhilarating first half too.
SKYLINE LUGE
This was something I've been wanting to try again ever since we did it for the first time a couple of years ago - whizzing down the slopes on the Luge! This time round, I had one more kid with me which meant that we can't split up evenly (yes, happens when you have an odd number of kids). Thankfully, the firstborn is now tall enough to ride solo (you have to be over 110cm and at least 6 years old) so it was a milestone for her on a personal level too.
Even though the queue was long on that day and we had to wait over half an hour for our turn, I was so glad we managed to do it! It wasn't without difficulty though, because the toddler was falling asleep and we had to keep coming up with ways to keep him awake. Haha. As what the slogan says, "Once is never enough" and I have to wholeheartedly agree because it was all too fun but too short! Thankfully, we were able to get a second try and the best thing is they have a separate queue for second timers so we didn't have to wait any more than five minutes for that.
Be sure to try out the two new tracks - Kupu Kupu track and Expedition track - on your next visit and have fun as you twist and turn around the bends, go through the tunnels and conquer the slopes! Note that photo taking is strictly not allowed at the starting and ending points. We stopped along the way to take these shots below but only because the trails were deserted at that point and I really wanted to share with you more about our experience too.
Another highlight of visiting Luge is that you get to ride on the Skyride too - which is basically a chair lift that takes you back uphill to the starting point. The kids were happy to dangle their feet in the air, look down at the tracks, enjoy the unobstructed view and feel the sun on their faces too.
TIGER SKY TOWER
GOOD OLD DAYS
Our dinner was at Good Old Days and it is located just a short walk away from Wings of Time, which was going to be our final attraction for the day. We have not been here before and were not sure of what to expect but from the name of the restaurant, it sure sounded like we could look forward to traditional, local delicacies.
We made our way to Level 1 of the restaurant and were told that they only served buffet and if we wanted to eat a la carte, that would be on Level 2 instead. We decided to go with the latter and our orders included the Singapore Chicken Rice ($12.80), Singapore Laksa ($10.80), South Indian Set ($16.80), Double Boiled Chicken Soup ($8.80), Chicken Satay ($8.80) and Otah ($5.80). Well, at least I think the food here is more reasonably priced and won't cost a bomb.
The one dish which we really liked was the Chicken Rice which we proceeded to order a second set as the rice was fragrant and the chicken was juicy and tender. Even the toddler loved it and gobbled down his portion swiftly! The Laksa and Indian cuisine were of mediocre standard and if I were to visit again, I would prefer to try out some of the other dishes. The Satay was a little tough but what really disappointed us was the Otah. It was hard to bite into and seemed like it was frozen and not thawed properly before heating up - which we've already given feedback to the staff who assured us that they would take note of it.
Still, it was a family meal that we enjoyed and the refreshing coconuts were very much welcome. Of course, the kids were even more ecstatic that they found another yummy dessert in the restaurant - ICE CREAM!
WINGS OF TIME
Our long but fulfilling day ended off with a blast, and I do mean a loud one, with an awe-inspiring award-winning multi-sensory night show set against an open sea - Wings of Time.
This might be our third time watching but every show we watched was of a different content so we were always in for a surprise. This current one talks about a mystical pre-historic bird named Shahbaz and how he travels across time and places with his friends Rachel and Felix. With the magnificent sea in the background and a combination of water, fire and laser effects, Wings of Time is an epic and truly unique show. Don't miss it on your next visit as it will be sure to delight everyone in the family from the kids to the adults and even the elderly. I know my mum loved watching it when we brought her! View my video above for a glimpse of all the action.
It was nightfall when we had to reluctantly bid farewell and make our way back to Faber Peak in the cable car. The beautiful night scenery of Sentosa with the brightly lit, multi-hued lights seemed to be telling us that we are most welcomed to visit anytime again soon. And you know what? We most definitely will.
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ONE GREAT ESCAPADE WITH ONE FABER GROUP
Leading up to our nation's birthday, One Faber Group is rolling out a series of “53-themed” promotions across their myriad of offerings from Faber Peak to Sentosa Island. All you have to do is spend a minimum of S$53 with One Faber Group and stand to win fantastic prizes! The top three prizes consist of 6D5N trip for two to Switzerland (worth more than S$7,000), 5D4N trip for two to Hong Kong (worth $3,500) and a 3D2N staycation for two at Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore and Cable Car Sky Dining (worth S$1,800). You never know if you might just be one of the lucky ones to win!
You can make your booking online at http://booking.mountfaber.com.sg/escapade or at Singapore Cable Car and Sentosa Merlion ticketing counters. For more details on the ongoing promotions, visit www.onefabergroup.com/onegreatescapade/.
Disclaimer: We were invited by One Faber Group to visit the above attractions in Faber Peak and Sentosa in exchange for writing this review. All expenses were paid and no monetary compensation was received. All photos and opinions are my own.
Faber Peak Singapore is home of vibrant event spaces and popular dining spots where you can catch panoramic views of HarbourFront and Sentosa.
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